Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

The Tower of Pisa is a bell tower, famous for its dramatic tilt to one side. The tower has become an icon of Italy, and millions of tourists flock to the lawns around the tower to take the classic photo pretending to hold up (or knock down) the tower. Visitors can also climb the 294 steps to the top inside the tower.

The tower was not originally intended to lean, but because it was built on soft soils the tower gradually tilted to the side. The Tower of Pisa went through restoration to prevent it from toppling, correcting the angle of tilt from 5.5 degrees to 3.99 degrees.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA

The first national park in the world, Yellowstone is home to Old Faithful Geyser, as well as the majority of the world’s geysers. Yellowstone features well preserved natural beauty, including its mountains, subalpine forest, canyons, rivers, and lakes. Yellowstone Lake is in the Yellowstone Caldera, an active volcano that is the largest in North America. The volcanic activity in Yellowstone is responsible for the geothermal features like the famous geysers

 The park also contains a variety of wildlife, including the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd, who roam free around the park. Other wildlife found around the park includes elk, bears, wolves, moose, and bighorn sheep.

Museum Island at Berlin, Germany

The Bode Museum in Museum Island at Berlin, Germany

The concept of the Museum Island is based on plans from the German architect, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and established during the Age of Enlightenment. The 5 major museums are part of Berlin State Museums, and include:

Altes Museum

Neues Museum

Alte Nationalgalerie

Bode Museum

Pergamon Museum

Altes Museum, meaning Old Museum, was built from 1824 to 1828 and is the oldest museum on the island. Altes Museum houses Greek and Roman art, and the top floor holds exhibitions. Neues Museum, meaning New Museum, was built from 1843 to 1847, but was destroyed in WWII, rebuilt and reopened in 2009. Neues Museum houses archaeological artifacts, and Egyptian and Etruscan sculptures – notably a bust of Queen Nefertiti. Alte Nationalgalerie, meaning Old National Gallery, was built beginning in 1866 and houses art from the 19th century. Construction on the Bode Museum began in 1897. It opened in 1904, and had been called Kaiser-Friedrich Museum. Bode Museum exhibits sculptures and late Antique and Byzantine art, with paintings dating up to 1800. The Pergamon Museum is a museum of ancient architecture. It was constructed from 1909 to 1930 and includes reconstructions of the Pergamon Altar (Greek altar) and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. The museums have varying designs, each one’s architecture is designed to reflect the works it houses.

Darien National Park, Panama

Landscape from Darien National Park, Panama

Darien National Park is a large natural park and preserve located in Eastern Panama’s Darien province, extending along most of the Panama-Colombia border. The region included in Darien National Park functions as a natural bridge between North and South America, though the two are separated by Darien Gap. Across Darien Gap is the Colombian side of the park, which is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world because of drug trafficking and paramilitaries.

Darien is the largest national park in Panama, covering 5,790 square kilometers (2,235 square miles). The park contains the Alto Darien Protection Forest, designated in 1972, covering about 700,000 hectares of the park. The park was made a national park in 1980, and became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.

Darien National Park is noted for its many ecosystems, with habitats ranging from rocky and sandy beaches, to mangroves, swamps, and tropical forests. Wildlife across the park includes the macaw, parrot, tapir, and harpy eagle. Animals from the endangered species Red List include the Spotted Paca, Guatemalan Black Howler, Night Monkey, Black-headed Spider Monkey, Central American Agouti, American Crocodile, and Capybara.

The park is also one of the few protected areas in the world that is also inhabited by humans. Two indigenous tribes live within the park: Chocó and Kuna. There are also a number of archaeological sites found within the park.